Thursday, October 21, 2004

More Fan Mail Unlike the guy from a few days ago, a fellow from Washington, D.C. named Brian Chapin decided to send me an email thanking me for this website.  With his permission to post it, here's what he had to say, with links to some photos of what he's talking about: Mr. Mauldin: Good evening. I hope this note finds you well. I just wanted to say thanks very much for refreshing some wonderful memories. I live and work in Washington, DC, (aka Fortress Washington), but am preparing for a visit to Munich to see my brother. We're both graduates of Ramstein American High School, and he's currently in Muenchen for a year on behalf of his firm. I was conducting research for the trip -- we'll try to make it up to our old stomping grounds this winter -- and stumbled on your photo galleries at Smugmug. Then, intrigued, I followed the link to your weblog. I enjoyed both very much. Your photos sparked an upwelling of nostalgia -- from the look of it, you live in the same little subdivision on the outskirts of Miesau where I lived as a junior and senior in high school back in 1991-93. The picture of your house is nearly identical to the house my family and I lived in -- right down to the stair covers!-- and those horses you have pics of were about a 20 second walk from my house. I lived at 10 Am Rothenhubel. Does the smell of fresh bread from the Sparkasse still rise early in the morning? [the Sparkasse is now an Eaktiv Markt] I also saw a pic of the Schnell Imbiss we'd ride our bikes to for a weisswurst and pommes frites lunch every once in a while. Are the pommes frites still greasy? Also enjoyed your blog entry on the Broadway Kino. As a budding film nut, I absolutely fell in love with it the first time I ever walked in -- the "cocktail lounge," the plush chairs, the rail tables in front of the seats to hold food and drink, Coke in bottles -- the Germans had the "luxury movie experience" well in hand years before stadium seating and well-padded seats caught on in the USA! I hope you are enjoying your experience living and teaching in Germany. I lived at Hahn AFB (now closed) [now an airport] when I was younger, and then at Ramstein as a teenager, and the experience left me with a lifelong love of Germany. I wish the same for you. Thanks again. Brian Chapin RAH Class of '93 Isn't that a great letter to get from a total stranger?  That's why I decided to go take pictures of his old stomping grounds (here's a bonus pic of your house, Brian).  Seems like a great guy, and if I can help him to remember some fond memories, then a few minutes of my time is well worth it. 5:11:26 PM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.